Jeanie Buss’ five siblings have asked a Los Angeles court to reject her effort to block the sale of the family’s Lakers shares, arguing that the transaction should proceed while discussions among the siblings continue.
Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss filed their opposition Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The filing follows the five siblings’ vote to sell the shares held by the Buss Family Trust.
The five Buss siblings who voted to sell the family trust’s Lakers shares – Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse – filed in courts their formal opposition Wednesday to Jeanie Buss’ petition seeking to prevent the sale. This comes after unresolved settlement discussions.
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In a statement provided to The Athletic’s Dan Woike, the siblings challenged the basis of Jeanie’s petition.
“Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss, the five of six siblings who voted to sell the Trust’s shares in the Lakers, today filed their formal opposition, demonstrating that Jeanie Buss’s petition is legally and factually baseless,” the statement said.
That is the siblings’ characterization of her case, not a court ruling. Jeanie maintains that the trust’s obligations prevent them from selling its Lakers interest in a way that would end her tenure as governor.
The statement also made clear that the filing has not ended negotiations.
“While discussions among the siblings continue, their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction and the Trust’s participation in it, while ensuring that all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally. Today’s filing is a necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule.”
Buss siblings want equal access to any deal to retain shares
One unresolved issue is whether Jeanie could retain an ownership interest through a separate arrangement. Woike reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the siblings’ thinking, that the trust wants any such opportunity made available to the other siblings on the same terms.
That source also told The Athletic that the siblings want the sale to the group led by Joshua Kushner to close without being held up by litigation. The report did not describe a completed agreement allowing Jeanie to keep shares or say that the family had reached a settlement.
The equal-treatment position adds a specific condition to the siblings’ push to sell. They want to participate in the transaction, but also want access to an alternative if one is created for Jeanie.
That could matter in negotiations over how she might remain involved with the Lakers after a sale.
The five siblings previously announced their intention to sell in August. Wednesday’s statement maintains that position while acknowledging that discussions are still taking place.
Why selling the trust’s stake could cost Jeanie Buss her role
The Buss Family Trust owns 17.8 percent of the Lakers. It retained that interest after the family sold majority control to Mark Walter in 2025, and the agreement included rights allowing the trust to join a subsequent sale of his shares.
Walter has since agreed to sell majority control to Kushner’s group, which includes Bob Iger, at a $12.5 billion valuation. The five siblings voted 5-0 to exercise the trust’s tag-along rights; Jeanie abstained.
The ownership structure matters because the NBA generally requires a governor to hold at least a 15 percent interest without partners. Jeanie qualifies through the trust under an exception for family ownership.
The 17.8 percent stake belongs to the trust, rather than being Jeanie’s personal holding.
If the trust sells those shares, she would no longer qualify under the existing arrangement. At the transaction’s $12.5 billion valuation, a 15 percent interest would be worth approximately $1.875 billion.
That figure illustrates the scale of the ownership interest involved; it is not a reported offer to Jeanie or a confirmed purchase price for a separate deal.
The family’s shares are also distinct from the majority stake Walter agreed to sell. Back in August, it was reported that the buyers were acquiring roughly 65 percent from Walter and would hold approximately 83 percent if the family’s stake were included.
Jeanie’s continued involvement had been part of the previous ownership transition. The NBA’s Oct. 30, 2025, announcement approving Walter’s purchase said she would remain governor for at least five years after closing.
“I am thrilled that Jeanie will remain the team’s Governor and an active and engaged member of our league,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the time.
That arrangement explains why the sale dispute also concerns leadership of the franchise. The family retained enough ownership for Jeanie to continue in the role when Walter took over; selling the remaining interest would change that structure.
Jeanie Buss is challenging the vote and the trustees behind it
Jeanie’s position relies on a 2017 court ruling that followed Jim and Johnny’s effort to remove her from the Lakers’ board. Her attorneys argue that the order obligates the trust to preserve her position for life.
Her petition goes beyond asking the court to stop the sale. She has sought to remove Janie and Joey as trustees and have them held in contempt, while also seeking contempt findings against Johnny, Jim and Jesse for allegedly assisting the violations.
Jeanie, Janie and Joey are the trust’s three trustees. Two of those three therefore support the transaction that Jeanie is challenging.
The trust’s position, according to sources cited by The Athletic, is that a majority vote can authorize the sale. Jeanie has also argued that retaining ownership serves the trust financially.
In its report on her Aug. 26 petition, ESPN quoted her position that the trust should “retain an interest sufficient to maintain control and to benefit from the continuously skyrocketing value.”
The competing positions leave the court with a dispute over the scope of the trustees’ authority and their obligations under the earlier order.
A 5-0 vote establishes the siblings’ support for selling, but whether that vote can be implemented over Jeanie’s objection is the issue being contested. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
For now, the siblings are pursuing their opposition in court while continuing discussions, with both the sale of the trust’s shares and Jeanie’s future under the ownership arrangement still unresolved.
